Friday night, the Columbia Falls Wildcats slid past Glacier 71-69 on the strength of 2 clutch free throws by Grant Getts (#44) with 13.6 seconds left in the game.
Getts wasn’t his usual 85% self from the free throw line, as he sank 13 of 14 to sink Glacier’s hopes down the stretch. Likewise, Mackey Nolan’s late free throws were instrumental to keeping the score tight in the waning minutes.
The Wildcat offense repeatedly challenged Glacier to stop them in the paint, frequently drawing fouls that put them in the bonus early enough to make it the difference in the game.
It might not have gotten to that point without a second half defensive adjustment that seemed to keep Glacier’s senior scoring machine Ben Cutler from repeatedly taking off on fast break drives to the basket. Cutler still finished with 27 points (after 15 in the first half), but he seemed almost under CFalls’ control in the second half after a fast-paced first half.
| Glacier football standout Shay Smithwick-Hamm cuts to the hoop while Kaleb Johnson (#35) and Mackey Nolan (#21) defend. |
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| Senior drumline member Taylor Hopkins’ handiwork is reflected in his glasses. |
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| Wildcat freshman forward Austin Barth (#33) battles Chad Gassaway (#33) for a rebound |
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| As a determined Getts goes back up with a rebound, Logan Quay (#22) appears to defend a bit warily – perhaps after seeing the look on Grant’s face. |
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| Getts and Smithwick-Hamm do battle as they did much of the evening. |
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| Mitchell Wassam (#34) goes up for a layup against Smithwick-Hamm.
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